fire and ice
by foreverneverland
Summary: She comes from the realm of fire, he comes from the realm of ice. She's compassionate, he's vile. She doesn't want her crown; he would kill for his. They're so unlike, yet so alike. What's going to happen when their paths cross? (Mostly alternate universe. Will collide with the Thor- & Avengers movies later, which I (obviously heh) do not own!)
1. Chapter 1

"You have to concentrate, Agni."

The girl with platinum blonde hair bit her teeth together, as she pressed her eyes shut tighter.

"Think of _it_ ; and _only_ it."

She tried. She tried so hard, but her father couldn't see it. _He didn't understand it_ \- Agni tried _so hard_. But she couldn't do it.

She let out a frustrated breath, before collapsing to the floor from the exhaustion. Behind her, her father Hephaestus snorted, and shook his head as he continued to walk in a small circle slowly around Agni. They were in the middle of a dark room, (the training room, as they would call it) that had small fire pits thrown around it in random places, slowly burning on the ground.

"I don't think you understand what's at stake here, my dear." Her father spoke.

"I do understand, father." Agni said ashamedly, her gaze on the ground.

"Do you, really?" Hephaestus asked, stopping, and now Agni lifted her gaze up to him.

"Yes." Agni said.

"What are you, then?"

Agni was quiet for a moment, just looking at her father, before answering. She knew that this was a trick question. She _knew_ that he knew she knew. And she _also_ knew, that he wanted her to say it just so he could tell her that she was failing at being it.

"I am a Princess." Agni said.

"Of...?" Hephaestus asked.

"Princess of Muspelheim." Agni mumbled.

"And whose daughter are you?" Hephaestus asked.

"Yours," Agni said automatically, thinking it was kind of a stupid question.

" _Whose daughter are you?!_ " Hephaestus raised his voice.

"The fire-God's and Goddess'es." Agni answered correctly, fast.

"Yes." Hephaestus nodded. "So that makes you..."

Agni sighed.

"A princess. Of the realm of fire." She mumbled, staring down.

"Exactly." Hephaestus said, continuing to walk in the circle, his hands behind his back. "So what should you be able to do?"

"...I should be able to control, and cause fire." Agni said.

"And how are we doing there, hm?" Hephaestus raised his brows.

Agni didn't say anything, just let her gaze drop down.

"Agni..." Her father sighed. "This can't go on like this."

The room was quiet apart from the sizzling sound of the fire.

"One day I will not be here anymore — and you're gonna have to take over, as my only child. **You're gonna have to take care of Muspelheim**. You're gonna have to prevent bad things from happening; _keep them locked_ , protect your people. **You're** **gonna have to rule** ; with a King; and how is a _Queen_ that can not handle her fire — supposed to rule a realm _made of it_?!" Hephaestus spat.

"I _can_ control it, it's just-" Agni started.

"It's just what?" Hephaestus raised his brows.

"You're forcing me to go further, when I know I'm not ready!" Agni blurted out as she jumped up.

" _When you're not ready_ -?" Hephaestus spat, taken aback. "My child - you don't get to decide that. _I do_. Once you come of age-"

"But what if I don't want to be a queen?!" Agni blurted out.

Hephaestus raised his brows.

"Excuse me?" He asked.

"What if I don't want to be a queen-?" Agni asked again. "What if I want to travel? See the universe, father! Visit the other realms-"

"Silence!" Hephaestus growled, his entire surroundings bursting up in flames.

Agni flinched as she stepped back a little.

"You will become queen." Hephaestus spat, starting to march towards Agni, who backed out in same pace. "You _will_ become queen, Agni. It is your birthright."

Agni looked at him, fury boiling inside her as she clenched her jaw. She was sick of this; of her father throwing her around like a puppet, telling her what to do. Controlling her.

"I think we're done here today." The Princess then just snapped and turned around, starting to walk towards the big hall doors, leaving her father stand there alone. Her father, who just stared after his daughter silently with a clench of his jaw, and a small, disappointed shake of his head.

Agni stepped out of the big black doors and entered a white, wide, very clean hallway of the palace. The floor was shiny and made of white marble, and on the walls there were golden details and portraits of the previous rulers and important Muspelheim history characters hanging inside big, golden frames. The girl's gaze slid lazily from photo to photo as she snorted quietly.

 _"One day your photo will hang from these walls,"_ her father would say every time they walked these halls together.

But what if she didn't want it to?

She'd always wanted to explore. Travel. See the other realms; maybe even Midgard. But her father had never let her. Never, in her 1,018 years of life. So naturally; Agni was bored. She was bored of never leaving this realm. Of never leaving this _palace_! It was like Agni was a prisoner in her own realm. _Born_ _to rule_. Destined to watch over Muspelheim. To marry someone she didn't actually love, (someone chosen by her father,) only to continue the legacy of "Great Rulers". To have her photo framed on _The Wall_ some day.

Whenever Agni wasn't practicing her skills of fire (which recently seemed to be the only thing she was doing these days, anyway), she was daydreaming of the day she'd finally get out. When she would escape. Of the day she would at last get to meet that that tall, dark, handsome stranger — just the kind that was in all the books her mother used to read to her as a child — her own _Prince_. How he would drop in from another realm to save her, to take her away to a new place. Show her all the things she'd been missing out on all these years.

But the possibility of any of that ever happening was really only the slightest; and Agni knew that there was no chance her father would ever let her out. Not after what happened with her mother.

So there she was; having to settle for her fate. To become the "Queen of Muspelheim" . The fate, that was written for her the second she got born.

She dragged herself further on the hallway, hips swaying naturally as the high-heel ankle-boots made of red latex knocked on the floor on every step.

She glanced in from the big window that showed the hall that kept "The Great Treasure" locked inside it. "The Great Treasure", a.k.a; the fiery sword made by Hephaestus himself. Agni was meant to just glance in once, then continue, but as she had gotten one step past the window, she realized there was something awry with the picture she'd just seen.

So she took one step back with a frown as she took another look in; and there, right by the sword, she definitely did see something that didn't belong there.

A boy.

* * *

 _Hi! Sooooo - this was the first chapter of my Marvel universe story.  
First of all; so I know that Agni is actually the name of an Hindu Fire God, but it was the only fitting name I could find for the character without coming up with a completely own one (and I simply just couldn't do that because I started to like the sound of 'Agni' too much, lol.) Also, I know that in the Original-Actual-Marvel-Universe Surtur rules Muspelheim, but not in this alternate universe, he he! He is still, however, connected to the realm but not in charge (stay tuned for more information ;-D ... Which brings me to my next point; )  
_ _If you think you'd be interested in finding out what's going to happen next, please follow and maybe even review!_

 _And as a last note, I'd like to point out that english isn't my mother-language, so... I apologize for any possible grammar mistakes.  
_


	2. Chapter 2

On Loki's 17th birthday — that is, in human years — he'd figured out something new.

The Bifrost Bridge.

The older the mischief-boy grew, the more he got in control of his powers. So it wasn't exactly hard for him to transfer into somebody else, or to trick Heimdall into sending him off to the other realms; or to, simply just distract his attention elsewhere so that he could jump off to the swirl of space.

So, bored to his life in the kingdom, but mostly just curious, Loki had taken a habit of traveling to the other realms. He'd never been to Midgard, but he'd traveled a lot elsewhere. He'd read all about the other places from the books they kept in the palace library, and he'd studied them.

He would always take a little souvenir from every realm he'd visited; even if it was just a rock from the ground, he'd always taken _something_. But as he grew older, so did his ambitiousness. He wanted to bring back more and more valuable things; and now he had his eyes set on something specific.

The fiery sword of Hephaestus, kept in safe in the realm of fire, Muspelheim.

Was it realistic for Loki to get it?

Absolutely not.

But did Loki care?

 _Absolutely not._

So there he was now, making his way towards the palace of Muspelheim, in the said realm.

During his trip towards the goal, he had to sneak in behind the rocks and the small volcanoes every now and then, even practicing his little disappearing-trick occasionally when the guard-protectors of the palace marched back and forth, but he managed to hide successfully.

Once he approached the palace, Loki smirked to himself. He glanced around his both sides; first left, then right, before he put his dagger sideways between his teeth, and he begun to climb up the wall of the palace.

As he was higher, he threw himself to the side of the window, and glued his eyes to it as he stared inside to the palace.

He glanced behind himself once more, before he kicked his way in through the window; and landed on his feet.

He was inside.

He whistled a little as he looked around; the place was huge.

Of course so was Loki's house, but it was different being inside somebody else's.

Then he heard footsteps coming.

Quickly Loki closed his eyes, and slowly he begun to disappear...

and the guards walked right past him.

After making sure they were really gone, Loki made himself visible again, and stared after the backs of the guards until they turned around the corner.

Then Loki started to silently sneak his way to the other way.

He had memorized the map of the Muspelheim palace to his brain so well, that he knew exactly where the vault was located at.

Just a couple of more turns to the left; and then, there he was.

Loki stopped. He bit to his lip as he stared at the sword inside the room. It was shoved into the stone, and was flaming.

The raven-black haired kid smiled with the side of his mouth — and then, he walked right through the wall, and once he was inside, his jaw actually dropped a little as he realized that it had actually worked.

He'd _actually_ managed to use his powers to walk through a wall; into a **vault**. And not just any vault; the vault of Hephaestus.

"Mother would kill me," Loki mumbled to himself, but he still sounded proud.

Now with confident steps the young trickster then started to walk towards the sword.

He stopped right by it; he wasn't a fool, after all. He knew better than to grab the sword just like that. He knew that his arms would burn off.

So now he bit his lip again, as he held his arm up, and started to pull a glove to cover it.

"Excuse me—?"

Loki turned his head, his eyes widening from the sight he faced, as his lips parted.

In front of him, there was a girl his age. She had thick, long, platinum-blonde hair, that was going down in beautiful curls framing her face.

Her clothes were entirely red, and she had full lips, her eyes emerald green.

Loki found himself mesmerized by her looks; he'd _never_ laid eyes on a girl this beautiful.

The girl raised her brows a little, as she looked at Loki.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Agni asked.

Slowly, Loki started to return back to the moment, blinking his eyes, gaining his ability to speak and move again.

"Nothing." He blurted out.

Agni frowned now.

"Really-?" She asked. She glanced at the sword, then turned her gaze back to Loki, raising her brows again as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Because to me, it almost looks like you're about to steal my father's sword."

Loki looked at her for a moment, leaning in a little.

"What-?" He asked, as if he hadn't heard her probably; and then he let out a laugh. "Your father's sword? No! I would neve-"

Then he stopped, blinking.

"Hold on," He said. "Did you just say- Your _father's_ _sword_?"

Agni frowned at him.

"Yes?" She asked.

Loki's jaw dropped again, slowly.

"No way," He said. "So that makes you…"

The girl was still just looking at him, confused.

"A princess," Loki said quietly. "I never knew there was a princess…"

Agni narrowed her eyes at Loki.

"Who are you?" She asked, glancing at him from head to toe. "You're not from this realm."

Loki smirked.

"No, Sweetness - I am not." He said.

He stepped a little closer to Agni, who eyed him suspiciously.

"Allow me to introduce myself." Loki said. He bowed down politely, before he grabbed Agni's hand gently, looking at her from under his brows. "I am Loki. _Prince_ , of Asgard. It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess."

"You're a prince?" Agni asked incredulously.

Loki smirked a little.

"What, is that so hard to believe?" He asked.

"Yes, actually." Agni said, pulling her hand back to herself. Loki seemed a little offended by this.

"What do you mean?" Loki asked.

"Why would a _prince_ steal?" Agni asked. "Don't you have fortune and property of your own?"

Loki snorted through his nose.

"I do." He said. "I just… find _other treasure_ more appealing."

Then he eyed Agni from head to toe, eyes sparkling with lust, and before Agni could react to his disrespectful act; Loki lifted his gaze back up to her eyes again, smirking.

"Except for my crown, of course." Loki said. "Which I'll get one day."

"Yeah?" Agni asked. "I wonder if that day'll come."

Loki frowned a little, but still smiled.

"What do you mean? Of course it will." He said.

"Are you certain?" Agni asked. "I don't think they do crownings in the dungeons."

Now the smile from Loki's face faded.

"The dungeons?" He asked.

Agni smiled, and just then the guards jumped on Loki from behind him, shoving him down and handcuffing him with fiery cuffs.

Loki gritted his teeth as he looked up at Agni, who still smiled down at him, now sweetly and innocently; clearly faking.

"Have fun." She said.

And now Loki started to smile, his eyes beginning to sparkle.

This confused Agni, her smile slowly fading away.

"You tricked me." Loki said.

"Which is why I don't see why you're smiling," Agni said.

And Loki's smirk only deepened, as the guards pulled him up harshly.

"You and I are _much_ _more_ alike than you'd think, Princess." He said.

"Silence, brat." One of the guards growled, and Loki could throw one more flirtatious, _overwhelming_ look at Agni, before he was turned around, and marched away.

And Agni was left standing there, staring after Loki with her lips gaped.

—

"An intruder? In my palace-?"

Hephaestus shook his head in disappointment, dropping it to his hands.

Then he smacked his other fist against the table, and the guards in front of him flinched a little.

"How did this happen?!" He growled.

"We don't know, Sir." The other one answered. "Somehow he got past us."

"Did he take anything?" Hephaestus spat.

"No, my Lord." The other guard now spoke. "And he is locked in the dungeon now. So- so he _couldn't_ have taken anything, Sir. He was only targeting the sword. What are the orders from now, my King? Shall we burn him alive - feed him to the dragons, or rot him in the cell till he dies?"

Hephaestus raised his head.

"Feed him to the dragons. And do it tonight." He said. "I do not want him anywhere near my daughter. This thief… He could be really dangerous. It should be _impossible_ to get through the security of that vault; but somehow he managed to. Who knows what else they're capable of..."

The guards looked at eachother, before one of them spoke.

"Your daughter, my Lord..." He started. "The thief was _with_ her, when we found him."

Hephaestus blinked.

"What?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, Sir."

Hephaestus bit his teeth together.

"This thief…" He started. "How old was he?"

"He looked about your daughter's age, my lord."

And then the king dropped his head, closing his eyes.

"Thank you." He mumbled. "You're excused."

The guards nodded, and took off, out of the room of the throne.

And Hephaestus shook his head.

Agni was sitting on her chair, brushing her hair as she looked at herself in the mirror, lost in her thoughts, the windows on the walls of her room showing the wildly burning fires of Muspelheim.

Then there was a knock on her door.

"Yes?" Agni asked.

The door opened, and it revelead Hephaestus, who was looking at Agni through the mirror.

Agni looked back at him, before putting her brush down, and turning around.

"What?" She asked.

"You're forbid to go see him." Hephaestus said.

Agni frowned.

"Who?"

"The thief." Hephaestus spat. "I know you met him."

Agni raised her brows, before letting out a laugh.

"Are you serious?" She asked. "You _really_ think that I would wanna go see the boy? Father — is that really how low you think of me? He is a _thief_!"

"I know you want to go see him," Hephaestus growled. "He's a stranger. From another realm. You find him intriguing. But he's dangerous, Agni. No matter how fascinating you'd think he is; he is _dangerous_."

"He's just a kid!" Agni blurted out.

Hephaestus stared at her, and then scoffed.

"So you don't see him as a thief." He said.

"Father, you can not feed him to the dragons," Agni said, getting up.

"You were eavesdropping," Hephaestus said. "That isn't polite, Agni. I taught you better than that."  
"You can't murder someone so young," Agni shook her head. "Mother would have _never_."  
"This boy _disrespected_ our family." Hephaestus spat. "This kingdom. He had the nerve to try and take something that was _not his_. I have no other option but to kill him. And your mother would've agreed with me. She understands. I _have_ to protect our legacy."

"You really think that our legacy is endangered by a _boy my age_ -?" Agni shook her head in disbelief.

"The fires of this kingdom don't burn everlastingly from _kindness_ , Agni!" Hephaestus shouted. "They burn from justice."

Agni shook her head.

"Justice for _who_ -?" She asked. "Father... The fires burn out of the souls that have made mistakes... Who you have murdered."

Hephaestus only stared at her.

"One day you will understand," He then growled. "One day, when you're wiser. And you'll stop acting so _stubborn_."

Agni clenched her jaw.

Hephaestus was already about to turn around and walk out of the room, but then he stopped.

"Oh; and do not just sit there, brushing your hair. That is shallow." He said. "Practice your powers, instead."

Then he walked away, not closing the door after him.

Agni stared after him, still biting her teeth together.

She turned around to look at herself from the mirror;

took a long, hard look, before she turned around swiftly, and marched out of her room.

—

Loki was sitting on the corner of his cell, leaning against the rock wall.

His hands were still cuffed. They were a special kind of handcuffs; they were on fire, but only on the outsides. So the insides that were touching Loki's skin, weren't burning him; but if he tried to smack them against the ground or something among that, they'd burst into bigger flames. And somehow he wasn't able to do his sorcery while cuffed; he'd tried, but not managed to.

So there he was, stuck between the four fiery walls, just waiting for his doom.

This wasn't exactly how Loki had imagined this day to end; but there wasn't exactly a thing he could do anymore. There was no crossing the dungeon bars made of fire.

Then he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

Curiously he raised his brows a bit as he tilted his head upwards, trying to see who was coming.

He knew that the possibility of it being the princess was only the slightest, but you couldn't blame the young prince for hoping.

Sadly for him, he was wrong, however — as the footsteps now lead to the dungeon, he saw two of the guards.

He scoffed a bit, as the men stopped in front of his cell.

"Hello, gentlemen." He however then said, smiling a little. "Come here to pick me upstairs for dinner?"

"Shut up." The bigger guard spat. "The king has given orders to kill you."

Loki's smug smile faded away a little, as he understood the realness of his crime.

Then he faked it back on.

"Has he, now?" He asked.

"Ade. Bache."

It was a girl's voice. The guards turned their heads.

Loki turned his head towards the voice too, and his eyes sparkled again while his lips curved upwards as he now saw the princess at the end of the stairs.

"There's a stranger walking outside the palace." Agni spoke.

"A stranger?" The smaller guard asked.

"Yes," Agni nodded. "She was wearing a dark hood. I think she could be related to _this_ thief."

Agni nodded at Loki, and the guards turned to him. Loki was a little confused for a moment, but as she saw how Agni looked at him — slightly raising her brows — he then started to play along.

"Oh-" He started. " _Crap_ … I guess my sister followed me. What a fool."

The big guard showed his teeth to Loki.

"Guess your sister will join you under the fire of dragon, then." He said, and then the guards hurried off.

Agni watched them go, before she made her way over to Loki's cell, who was smirking excitedly.

"What is this?" He asked. "Correct me if I'm wrong; but it would _almost seem_ like you were just distracting the guards."

Agni looked at him, and then she walked closer to the bars.

"You said you're from another realm." She spoke.

Loki looked up at her.

"I am." He said. "Asgard."

"I've never been outside Muspelheim." Agni said. "I've… never been outside this palace."

Loki raised his brows, surprised.

"Truly?"

Agni nodded.

Loki eyed her, curious, as he begun to get up.

He walked closer to the bars, Agni following his every move carefully, until Loki stopped right in front of her, behind the bars.

"I could show you." Loki whispered.

Agni raised her brows a little.

"We have a bridge," Loki continued. "In my realm. It leads to every planet there is."

Agni frowned.

"That can't be true." She said. "You'd have to have a spaceship."

Loki smiled with the corner of his mouth.

"Not with the Bifrost."

"Bifrost?" Agni asked.

"Yes." Loki said. "The bridge."

Agni looked at him, debating.

"I've never heard of your realm," She said.

"Not much to be heard." Loki murmured. "Your father's a bit of a _racist_ , then, huh?"

He smirked a little.

"He's going to kill you." Agni said.

Loki snorted, glancing down.

"So it would seem." He said.

Agni was still watching him.

All her life; she'd dreamt of this.

Of that _one stranger._

The stranger that would come, and change her life.

"Would you really?" She asked.

Loki lifted his gaze back up to her.

"Would I really what?" He asked.

"Show me." Agni continued. "The realms."

Loki started to smirk.

"Yes." He said. "Any place you'd want."

Agni didn't say anything, and neither did Loki. He only looked at her, waiting for her next move. Not daring to say anything.

And then Agni grabbed the bars with her bare hands. Loki's eyes widened as he watched her bend the bars, melting them, until there was an opening Loki could pass through.

"Impressing." He commented.

"Quick." Agni said, showing him to hurry with her hand.

Loki did.

Then Agni grabbed his handcuffs, and melted them away too.

"Thank you." Loki smirked a little.

Then they started to hear the guards again.

"Come on. Hurry!" Agni blurted out, and started to walk rapidly further on the dungeon hallway. Loki hurried after her, and soon they sneaked out from a door, and ran even further, now finding their way to the backyard of the palace, and they didn't stop running until they were by the high, golden gates surrounding the property. Where the palace ended, and the outside land of Muspelheim begun.

"Do you really have dragons?" Loki then asked, kind of excited.

"Yes," Agni answered fast. "Look- you have to go, before they find you."

"But what about you?" Loki asked, frowning a little. "I thought you wanted me to show you the realms."  
"I do," Agni said. "But I can not leave. Not now. If I do — they will think that you snatched me. My father will put a price on your head, and he won't stop till you're dead."

Loki looked at her, not believing what he was hearing.

"You're worried about what'll happen to me?" He asked.

This random girl; this stranger; a _Princess_ \- was worried. About him.

Agni looked at him.

"You're just a kid." She said. "Like me. And unlike my father, I don't want to see blood shed for small, improper reasons."

Loki looked at her, his brows raising a little.

"Loki, I don't…" Agni then started. "I don't want to live by my father's rules no more."

Short silence.

"Promise you'll come back." Agni added, her voice silent, but begging.

Loki blinked, and then swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling dry.

"I don't… I don't even know your name," He said.

Agni looked at him.

"It's Agni." She said.

And as Loki looked at her, he felt something in his chest.

Something the boy had never felt before, but it was the kind of feeling he'd heard about in all the fairytale books his mother had read him and his brother when they were just children.

"Agni," Loki repeated her name, trying out how it felt rolling off his tongue.

And he _liked_ the way.

Agni looked at him, her beautiful eyes wide, like a deer's in headlights.

"I promise." Loki assured, nodding.

And then Agni begun to smile a little.

" _Find him!"_

Agni's smile disappeared immediately.

"That's the guards," Agni then said, a little panicky. " _Go-_ **Now**!"

"I'll come back," Loki blurted out, starting to back out. "I promise!"

" _Go!_ " Agni snapped, glancing behind them; and just then, Loki disappeared in thin air like a puff of smoke.

As Agni turned her head again, Loki was no longer there.

Her lips parted, as she stared at the empty spot.

Then the guards rushed to the back of the yard, where they found her by herself.

Agni turned around.

"I tried," She said. "I tried to stop him. He was too fast."

The guards stared at her.

"Get back in the palace, Princess."

Agni looked at them for a moment, before she nodded.

"Going."

And off she went.

—

Once Loki dropped back in to Asgard, he was first greeted by his father and Heimdall.

Loki's jaw dropped carefully as he froze in place, Odin's glare burning into his eyes.

"Do you have _any idea_ how dangerous it is to travel in to other realms—?!" Odin spat as he dragged Loki back to the palace, his grip rough on Loki's arm. "And Lord Forbid if you'd found your way into Midgard! Where did you even travel?! Hm?!"

"I went to Muspelheim," Loki answered.

" _Muspelheim_?!" Odin hissed. He stopped, and turned so that he could grab Loki by both of his shoulders, his fingers sinking into Loki's clothing. " _The realm of fire-?!_ Ruled by **_Hephaestus_**?!"

"Yes," Loki said. "Father, there's a Princess-"

"Of course there is," Odin growled, shaking his head. "You are not traveling from realm to realm for a _girl_ , Loki! There's plenty of females in this kingdom for you."

"But they're not like her," Loki said, frowning a little. "She's _different_."

" **I don't care!** " Odin spat. "You are _never_ allowed to use the Bifrost again."

Loki's eyes widened as his lips parted.

"What?" He asked, his voice tiny.

"Not before you've grown in age and wisdom." Odin hissed. "So I hope you enjoyed your time in Muspelheim with the Princess and took a good, long look. Because you will not be seeing her again."

"But father-!"

"No." Odin just said, and then he threw Loki to his room, and slammed the door shut.

The young Prince could now do nothing but stare at the closed door; before he smacked his fist against it.

"You had something to do with it — didn't you?!"

Agni turned around on the hallway, now facing her father.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," She lied.

"That boy." Hephaestus spat. "The **thief**. He is _gone_."

Agni looked at him.

"Oh." She then just said. "What a shame."

Hephaestus didn't say anything.

"He was from a realm called Asgard," Agni snapped. "I've never heard of that realm. Why, father?!"

Hephaestus smacked his sceptre to the floor, as he let out a loud groan.

"You will **_never_** leave this realm!" He shouted, flames bursting all around Agni, whose jaw dropped as she tried to back out away from her father. "You will gain respect for me! For your _legacy_! And this nonsense will end! Your desire for _journeys_ — _**it will end**_ _,_ Agni! You _will_ become queen of Muspelheim, whether you liked it, **or not!** "

And then the king turned around and marched away, leaving Agni stand there between the flames, biting her teeth together to try and stop herself from bursting out in tears, as they were already glistening in her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Loki was laying on his bed, repeating the action of throwing a tiny ball up in the air and then catching it again, when his brother Thor knocked on his bedroom door before opening it.

Loki turned his head lazily.

"What?" He asked.

"Father told to invite you to dinner." Thor answered.

"How thrilling," Loki commented dryly, before turning his head and continuing to throw the ball.

Thor watched him.

"He says you went to Muspelheim." Thor said.

"Among other realms," Loki mumbled.

"How did you do it?" Thor asked, now getting in. "How did you get past Heimdall?"

"You have your looks… I have my skills." Loki said.

Thor was quiet for a moment.

"Father also says you met a Princess."

Loki stopped throwing the ball, closing his fingers around it now.

"I didn't know there was one in Muspelheim." Thor said.

"Neither did I." Loki mumbled.

"What was she like?" Thor asked.

Then he smirked a little.

"Pretty?" He asked.

Loki sighed, shaking his head.

"No." He mumbled. "Not just pretty. _Exquisite_. Like out of a dream. The Asgard girls got nothing compared to her."

"Wow." Thor said, looking impressed as he blinked.

"You know, I've always been curious about the Midgardian ones." He then added, smirking a little as he raised his brows. "I've heard they're gorgeous, too."

Loki turned to look at him, and then raised his brows a little.

"But Loki and a princess…" Thor then smirked wider. "Who would've thought? And not just any princess! The princess of Muspelheim! She must be a fiery one."

He winked at Loki.

Then Loki sighed, and shrugged as he got up.

"Well, I am never going to see her again." He said. "So… That was that."  
Thor frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Father said I am not allowed to use the Bifrost again." Loki said. "Not before I'm… _Wiser_. And older. And who knows when he decides that is."

"So you'll see her then," Thor shrugged.

"No, Thor," Loki mumbled. "Once… Once I get access to the bridge again, she's _long_ forgotten me. She's found herself a prince. And probably rules Muspelheim by then."

"Well haven't you got a positive attitude towards this," Thor snorted, smiling a little.

"Shut up." Loki just growled, and walked past Thor to the hallways. "Or I'll turn into a snake again and bite you in the arse."

The smile on Thor's lips faded away, as he frowned a little annoyedly.

"Hey! That was _never_ funny!" He said, before rushing after Loki.

—

Agni sat by the dinner table, pursing her lips together.

Hephaestus glanced at her.

"Agni, you haven't touched your food." He said.

"I'm not hungry." Agni answered.

Hephaestus stared at her with a small frown, before he raised his hand up a little, and the waitress that had just poured him water turned around and walked out of the hall.

"You have to eat." Hephaestus said. "It's delicious."

"I said I'm not hungry." Agni said, turning to look at her father.

Hephaestus didn't say anything for a moment.

"Is this about the boy?" He asked.

"Don't be ridiculous." Agni narrowed her eyes a little. "Can I go? I have to finish my book."

Hephaestus looked at her.

"Which book?"

"History of Muspelheim." Agni answered fast. Her father eyed her a little suspiciously for a moment, before nodding.

"Alright." He said. "Go."

"Thank you." Agni said, and got up.

She walked out of the dining hall, and glanced behind herself to be sure no one was following her, before she sneaked her way to the library. She walked to the back of the room, and stopped as she placed her hand on the wall.

Then she looked around once more, and turned back to the wall.

" _Anoígo_ ," She said, and the wall in front of her opened, revealing the forbidden books- section.

Agni made her way in, and the wall behind her closed, as she made her way to one of the shelves, and grabbed the book;

 _History of Asgard._

—

Later that day Agni was in her bedroom, twirling a finger around in the air bored, causing small sparkles of fire to shoot out of it, when one of the maids; Celtera, the oldest one - walked in.

"Oh-" Celtera spoke, starting to back out. "Miss Agni - I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bother your highness."

"It's okay," Agni said, and Celtera smiled carefully, before she made her way back in, and begun to fold Agni's bedding.

"Celtera…" Agni started, and Celtera turned to her immediately.

"Yes, Princess?" She asked.

"Have you ever heard of the realm called Asgard?" Agni asked.

Celtera raised her brows a little.

"Asgard?" She asked.

"Yes," Agni said. "It's one of the nine realms."  
"Of course," Celtera said, smiling a little. "Miss Agni… Haven't you?"

Agni frowned a little confusedly.

"No," She said. "I have never. Why?"

"Well, I would've thought," Celtera said, now a little confused too. "Princess, your mother - She was an Asgardian. Right?"

Agni's eyes widened as her lips parted.

"What?" She asked.

Celtera frowned.

"You… didn't know?"

"No," Agni said, shaking her head. "I... No."

Celtera's lips parted.

"Oh, my-" She blurted out. "I am so, so sorry. Me and my big mouth. Please, Princess - forgive me."

She dropped down to her knees and put her hands on the floor.

Agni looked at her.

"Celtera- What are you doing?" She asked.

"Aren't you angry?" Celtera asked. "I went beyond my lines. I never should've…"

"It's… okay," Agni said. "Please. Get up."

Celtera glanced at Agni, who nodded at her reassuringly. Then Celtera got up.

"Thank you," She said. "You're… You're so kind."

Agni smiled a little.

"Like your mother." Celtera added.

"Are you sure that she was an Asgardian?" Agni then frowned. "As you know, I... I never knew my mother. And my father, he… He never told me. Anything."

Celtera looked at her.

"The death of your mother was very hard for the King." Celtera said, quietly. "I've worked in this palace for more than three thousand years, Princess. I remember his pain. Your father wouldn't let anyone see him for _months_."

"I know," Agni said. "Which is exactly why I'm asking _you_ , Celtera. I know you know things."

Celtera twisted her mouth.

"These are not the things I should talk to you about, miss Agni…" She said. "I shouldn't be talking to you at all, for the matter of it."

"Please, Celtera," Agni said, grabbing her arms. Celtera flinched a little at this. "I _need_ to know. Father isn't telling me, and he's not letting me out there either. If my mother truly is an Asgardian, then…"  
Short silence.

"Then everything my father has taught me about traveling between realms has been a lie." Agni said.

Celtera didn't speak for a moment. She glanced down, and then turned her gaze back to Agni.

"That thief…" The maid started. "Was he an Asgardian?"

Agni looked at her, and then let go of her arms.

She nodded.

"Yes," She answered. "He's a prince."

Celtera smiled a little.

"A prince, hm?" She asked.

Agni smiled a little, as she blushed and glanced away, embarrassed.

"Do you fancy him?" Celtera asked.

"I don't even know him," Agni now shook her head as she looked at Celtera.

Celtera smiled.

"That doesn't mean anything." She started. "But he's a _thief_ , Agni."

"I know," Agni sighed, sitting down. "But he... There was _something about him_."

"Oh, I know," Celtera chuckled. "He's a handsome, dark stranger. Of course you're intrigued by him. And a prince, too."

She continued to fold Agni's bedding.

"But my father… He'd never agree." Agni mumbled.

Celtera pursed her lips.

Then she turned to look at Agni.

"Yes." She said.

Small silence.

"Did he mention his name?" Celtera asked.

"Loki." Agni answered.

"Hm." Celtera just hummed.

"What was she like?" Agni then asked.

"Who?" Celtera asked.

"My mother." Agni said.

Celtera looked at her for a moment, and then started to smile.

"She was beautiful," She said. "And brave. A lot like you."

"But if she was from Asgard…" Agni was a little confused. "How come she was still a woman of fire?"

"Your highness…" Celtera shook her head a little, not wanting to go there.

"Please, Celtera," Agni said. "I won't tell anyone."

Celtera was quiet for another small moment, before she sighed.

"Very well." She said. "May I sit?"

"Of course," Agni said, and Celtera nodded.

"Thank you." She sat down.

Agni looked at her, waitingly.

"When your mother was born… Asgard was very different." Celtera said. "It was violent."

"Violent?" Agni frowned.

"Yes." Celtera nodded. "And… She was the daughter of a blacksmith. He wasn't making a lot of money, so they didn't exactly live under the best circumstances. But your mom, she could control fire."

"So… Mom was just… lucky?" Agni quirked a brow.

Celtera snorted.

"Not exactly." She said. "Your mother was adopted. The blacksmith wasn't her actual father; nobody knew who her real parents were, not even your mother herself. For all anybody knows it could've been possible that she was just the daughter of two witches; but _different_ , that she was. And she never felt like she belonged."

"And when she was about your age; a little older, she ran away from Asgard. Things were getting too awful." Celtera continued. "That's when she discovered our realm. Muspelheim. The land of _fire_. She felt like she belonged here; like in here, she wasn't different."

"And that's when she met your father. The _Prince_ \- of that time." Celtera smiled a little. "Your mother was always very kind towards all of us. She never treated us like we were… slaves. Or somehow _lower_. Not that your father would treat us any differently, of course. The Queen just had… another kind of compassion."

Agni looked at Celtera.

"Celtera…" She then started. " _I_ don't feel like I belong here."

Celtera frowned a little.

"Dear, it is your birthright to rule this realm one day." She said.

"I know it is, it's just…" Agni shook her head. "This whole place!"

She threw her arms up.

"It's so depressing!" She blurted out. "There's nothing but fire and darkness everywhere! It's dull! Celtera, I- I don't think this is where I'm meant to be!"

She got up.

"I want to travel. I want to see the realms, I want to- I want to go to _Midgard_ one day!" She said, and Celtera dropped her jaw.

"Oh my lord, Princess!" Celtera said, shocked as she got up too. "You should lower your voice, you'll upset the King if he hears!"

"To hell with my father! He doesn't understand!" Agni said, and Celtera's eyes widened.

"Miss Agni - that is not the way to talk about your father," She said. "You ought to show some respect."

"But Celtera, you've traveled!" Agni let out a whiny sound. "You've seen the other realms! You know what it's like out there!"

"Yes," Celtera said. "But that was when I was a child."

Agni looked at Celtera, tears glistening in her eyes.

"I don't wanna just get _stuck_ in here." She spoke, her voice shaky. "I want to see what the universe has to offer me. I want to see what _I_ have to offer."

"You're going to make a _great_ queen one day, miss Agni. That's what you have to offer." Celtera smiled.

"But I wanna be more than that." Agni said. "More than just a queen. Of Muspelheim."

"That's very ambitious." Celtera said, not exactly in a flattering way.

Agni just looked at her, not saying anything.

Celtera twisted her mouth, and then sighed, shaking her head.

"And… In this fantasy. If you _were_ to leave Muspelheim." She started, turning her gaze back to Agni. "What would happen come the day your father passes? Hm? You _know_ Surtur would take over. He would destroy _everything_."  
"Surtur isn't real, Celtera," Agni said. "He's just a horror story to tell children."

"Surtur is very real, miss Agni," Celtera frowned. "And it is part of your responsibility to rule this realm. To protect it. To protect the other realms; to keep our _horrors_ locked."

Agni frowned at her.

"Your mother would want you to do that, too." Celtera added. "Just like your father."

Agni glanced down.

"My father, he..." She started. "He wants me to become something that I'm not. He wants me to... to become _him_."

Celtera looked at her.

"And I am not him," Agni said, shaking her head. "I'll never be. And..."

Small silence.

"Sometimes... I _swear_ , he blames me for what happened." Agni let out a breath, shaking her head again.

Celtera pursed her lips as she looked at the young girl.

She was quiet for a moment, before she started;

"No." She said.

Agni lifted her gaze back up to her.

"Firstly, Princess; What happened, was absolutely _not_ your fault. Your father knows that. He would never blame you for it." Celtera shook her head. "And secondly..."

She grabbed Agni's hand gently with both of her hands, and smiled warmly.

"You don't have to be your father. You'll never be. You are _you_." She said. "And who you are, is a wonderful young woman, who is going to achieve _great_ things one day."

Agni listened to her words carefully.

"You've got a _good heart_ , miss Agni. You have been blessed with the gift of empathy. _Forgiveness_." Celtera smiled. "And looking at you, every day, is exactly like looking at her."

Agni smiled softly.

"Kindness is _never_ a weakness, my child." Celtera smiled. "Don't you ever forget that."

The princess looked at her, the depth of Celtera's words touching her.

She nodded carefully.

And just like that, breaking the bubble, the door burst open.

"Madame." A guard snapped to Celtera. "Please leave the princess's room."

"It's okay," Agni said to them. "I gave her the permission."

"No, I'm leaving." Celtera smiled to Agni.

Then she looked at the guards, and saw how they looked back at her.

Now her lips parted as her brows furrowed a bit.

She stopped for a moment as she stared at the guards, before she put her pokerface back on, and turned to look at Agni once more.

"Thank you," Agni mouthed at her, and Celtera gave her one final smile.

"Now." The guard spat, grabbing Celtera rather harshly, and pulling her out of the room.

—

Celtera was walked to the great hall of the palace, where Hephaestus' throne was at.

The guards shoved her to in front of the stairs, where the maid kneeled.

"My King." She started.

"Save it." Hephaestus said, the tone of his voice strict. "On your feet."

Celtera did as told.

Hephaestus glared down at her from his throne, before he got up, and walked over to the woman.

"In what corrupted state of mind did you think it was acceptable of you to talk to my daughter about her mother?" He growled, and Celtera felt her stomach turn around.

"Your highness…" Celtera started carefully. "Miss Princess asked me to."

"I don't care," Hephaestus snapped. "I don't _care_ whether she asked you to. That is under no circumstances any of your concern. You went great beyond your lines, here."

"I understand." Celtera nodded, dropping her head. "I am so sorry, my lord. Please, forgive me."

Hephaestus clenched his jaw, as he stared at the woman.

Then he lifted his gaze back up to the guards, and nodded.

The guards grabbed Celtera harshly from the shoulders, and she lifted her head.

"My lord-?"

But Hephaestus didn't say a word. He turned around, and begun to walk up to his throne again, as the guards dragged Celtera out of the hall.

"My lord!" She still tried to call, but the doors closed.

"Please, no," Celtera sobbed as the guards kept on dragging her on the hallways, going towards the big, black door. "Please, don't do this!"

"I've been working in this palace forever!" She cried. "Don't do this! No!"

But the guards shoved the door open, and threw Celtera in, slamming the door shut.

"No!" She shouted, smacking her fists against the door. "Let me out!"

The degrees in the room must've been a trillion, and Celtera could feel the sweat rising to her skin.

Then she heard it.

The jaw that was hanging low froze that way, as did the wide open eyes. Fear took over them, _her entire body_ , as she slowly breathed.

And then, with trembling feet, she turned around,

and faced the dragon.

* * *

 _hi! hello! there is 7 of you following this story already, yay, thank you!_

 _this story is only slowly starting to start it's rise, but please share your thoughts and comments about this chapter (or the story in all it's glory so far heh) in the review section 3 i'd greatly appreciate it!_

 _also, sorry for publishing this chapter like a thousand times but for some RIDICULOUS REASON the horizontal lines weren't working and turned all of the chapter just into a big mush of text and i am seriously tripping over this because what the actual fuck but anyWAYS i hope it's gonna work now_

 _xx ali_


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh-!" Agni spoke, staring at herself from the mirror. "What a surprise! You came back!"

She fixed her posture, and then gasped.

"It's you!" She now said. "I didn't think you'd actually come back..."

" _Prince_ _Loki_..." Agni said his name in a jokingly low tone. Then she acted casual. "How's Asgard?"

She stared at herself for another moment, before letting out a groan.

"What are you doing...?" She mumbled.

Then she begun to hear screaming.

Agni frowned as she rushed out of her room, and started to walk towards the sound.

The louder the screams got, the faster she begun to go; until the screams were just behind the door.

And Agni counted one plus one.

Her jaw dropped as her eyes widened, and she slammed herself towards the door.

"Celtera!" She screamed, smacking her fists against the door.

She tried the handle, but it wouldn't open.

Then she tried to burn her way through the door, but it wouldn't melt.

"Agni."

She turned around, tears glistening in her eyes as she looked at her father.

Hephaestus looked back at her, his face expressionless.

Agni breathed out as she shook her head slowly.

"How could you?" She asked, her voice shaky.

" _ **Why would you do it**_ _ **?!**_ " She then screamed, running towards her father. "She didn't do anything wrong!"

Hephaestus held his hand out and shot fire towards Agni, the girl backing out and falling to the floor, looking at the man with watery eyes.

"Leave it be, Agni." Hephaestus said, calmly. "Go to your room."

Celtera's screams could still be heard behind the door.

Agni stared at Hephaestus, not wanting to believe what was happening.

"How do you live with yourself?" Agni whispered, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

Hephaestus didn't say a word.

" _How do you live with yourself?!_ " Agni now screamed, jumping back up.

She threw a fireball towards her father, who simply catched it with his hand.

"Agni, calm yourself." Hephaestus warned.

"No!" Agni sobbed. "I _hate_ you!"

The King clenched his jaw.

"I wish you weren't my father," Agni shook her head, more and more tears spilling out from her eyes. "You're a **monster**."

Hephaestus looked at her for a moment, without saying a word.

"Maybe," He then answered.

Agni bit her teeth together, trying to control her tears.

"But at least I am powerful." Hephaestus spat. "Being naive will never grant you power."

Agni was silent as she looked at her father, before spatting out her next words.

"I don't wanna sit on a throne built from the bones of the weaker." Agni whispered.

Hephaestus looked at her, and then walked close to her, leaning down.

"Then you'll _never_ sit on one." He growled. "Because _you're_ _weak_."

Agni looked at him in the eye, still gritting her teeth.

"I am _not_ weak." She growled back.

"GUARDS!" Hephaestus then suddenly shouted, not breaking eye contact with Agni.

"Yes, King?" They appeared immediately.

"Let's see if my daughter's words have any truth behind them." Hephaestus said.

Agni frowned slightly.

"Sir…?" The guards asked.

"Throw her in." Hephaestus said.

Now Agni's frown broke as her eyes widened.

"In…?" The guards were confused.

"Yes." Hephaestus said. "To the room."

Now he turned his gaze away from Agni as he turned around.

"But, King-?"

"Do as I say!" Hephaestus growled loudly, and the guards rushed to Agni.

"Father-!" Agni blurted out as the guards grabbed her by the shoulders. "Father-! Are you serious?!"

Hephaestus turned around.

"You swore you weren't weak." Hephaestus said. "Prove me wrong."

"How?!" Agni shouted.

Hephaestus was quiet for a couple of seconds, looking at the guards dragging his daughter towards the big door.

"Kill the dragon." He said.

Agni's jaw dropped, and then the door was pulled open, Agni was thrown in, and the door slammed shut in front of her.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the door, the burning flames of the room starting to dance their way towards her.

Slowly she turned around, and looked around herself. The room itself was entirely white marble, but the flames were painting it shades of yellow and orange. On the floor, Agni saw the skeletons and skulls of anyone who'd ever entered the room; and never left it. She breathed heavily, not being able to turn her eyes away from the view, even though she could feel her chest tightening from fear and disgust by every second passing by.

Outside the room, Hephaestus only looked at the door for a couple more seconds, before he turned around just like that, and marched away.

The guards glanced at each other worriedly.

Agni took a deep breath, before she walked a little more further in to the room.

"You can do this." She said to herself. "You can do this. It's a dragon. It blows out fire — so do you. You're only… a trillion times smaller. But you do the exact same thing. How bad can it be-?"

Then the dragon stepped out from behind one of the piles of skeletons, and roared at Agni, fire coming out.

Agni's jaw dropped as she started to back out naturally.

"Bad," She blurted out. "It can be bad. Bad bad bad-"

The dragon roared again, trying to roast Agni, who screamed, pointing her arms towards the dragon and shooting fireballs, but they didn't do anything but anger the creature. It started to roam towards Agni, who started to run away from it, jumping over the skeletons.

The creature shrieked again, more fire coming out, and Agni hid behind a large pile.

"You can do this," She repeated to herself. "You're not weak. You are _not_ weak."

Then her eyes focused on the body right in front of her, where the flesh hadn't melted off completely.

It was Celtera.

Agni's breath got stuck in her throat, and her eyes widened.

The dragon roared again, tearing a pile near Agni apart with its claws.

"Not weak." Agni gritted her teeth, before she jumped out from behind the pile.

"Hey!" Agni shouted at the dragon, and caught it's attention immediately. It roared at Agni, who roared back, before she jumped on top of one of the piles. The dragon begun to chase her, as Agni ran further, jumping from pile to another.

"Catch me if you can!" Agni shouted, aiming fireballs at the dragon now and then.

She was looking for a rib sharp enough.

Big enough.

Agni knew that there had been multiple types of creatures in this room; not only human-sized.

And finally she found it. An orc's rib.

Agni turned around, her hair flipping dramatically as she smirked at the creature, grabbing the ribs from the ground.

"Come on, Big Girl." She snapped, and the dragon started to fly towards Agni.

The Princess jumped down from the pile, and as the dragon leaned down to try and roast her, Agni screamed, and jumped in the air, aiming both of the ribs forwards; and shoving them into the dragon's eyes.

The creature shrieked out in pain, throwing itself around, and as it lifted it's front-leg, it threw Agni across the air, her body flying through a pile of skeletons before she dropped to the ground, sliding and rolling further on it. Quickly she pulled herself together, and turned around, glaring at the dragon.

She jumped up, and grabbed another rib, her teeth grit in a grin, and she was ready to run towards the creature again;

But then she stopped.

She looked at the way it was screaming in agony, throwing it's head around, desperately trying to get the ribs out of it's bleeding eyes.

And the grip Agni had around the rib loosened. It fell to the ground as her eyes began to water.

"What have I done—?" She breathed out.

The dragon kept on crying out.

Agni begun to walk towards it, slowly.

"Hey," She called.

The dragon shrieked, blowing out fire but in the complete opposite direction of Agni, since it couldn't see.

"I'm sorry," Agni said. "I am so, so sorry."

She approached the creature with careful steps, her hands held out alertedly, but not planning to attack.

"Let me help you." She now spoke.

The dragon stopped, starting to breathe slowly, as if it was listening to Agni.

And it was.

"I'll help you." Agni said. "I won't hurt you. No more."

The dragon was observing the situation through it's other senses, like hearing; not making a move.

"Shhhh," Agni shushed, trying to calm it down more. "It's okay. I won't hurt you. We're the same. Okay?"

Slowly, the dragon begun to lean down, till it was lying down on the ground on all fours.

Agni's breath got stuck in her throat by how moved she was by the dragon's actions; it had completely trusted her.

Carefully Agni now grabbed the other rib in it's eye, and the dragon grunted.

"This is gonna sting, a little bit." Agni mumbled, before she ripped the rib out.

The dragon shrieked in pain, and fast, Agni pulled the other one out so it wouldn't have time to process.

She backed out quickly as the dragon threw itself around again.

"Hey!" Agni called. "It's okay! It's okay!"

And slowly but steadily, the dragon began to calm down again.

"Hey," Agni said again, softly now, as she began to approach the creature again. "It's okay."

And then carefully she started to pet it's head. At first the dragon flinched, but then it relaxed, leaning itself against Agni's hand, that was tiny compared to the dragon's size.

"You're okay now," Agni reassured, stroking it's scaly skin gently. "No one's gonna hurt you anymore."

And then it hit Agni.

Her father had made this dragon a slave, too. It was put in to this room; never let out; leaving it no other options but to destroy anyone who came in through those doors, taking it's frustration and sadness out on them.

Then the dragon softly nudged it's head against Agni's hand, and her lips parted, as it sounded like the dragon let out a sound similar to a cat's purr.

"You deserve more," Agni said, shaking her head. "More than this. Dragons are beautiful creatures. You shouldn't be locked in here."

The dragon was silent.

"I'm gonna get you out of here." Agni said.

Then she started to hurry to the other side of the room, where she remembers seeing ladders.

She started to climb them up, the dragon now letting out a roar — but it wasn't an angry roar. It was a confused, lonely, scared roar.

"Hold on!" Agni called.

She climbed the ladders all the way up, and then looked at the hook hanging from the ceiling.

She bit her lip, before throwing herself in the air towards the hook; and managed to grab it; and slowly the ceiling begun to open, revealing the outside of Muspelheim.

The dragon started to move towards the sound curiously, and Agni dropped herself down with a grunt as she landed on her feet.

She watched the creature smell the air.

"You're free," Agni spoke. "Go. _Go_ , before the guards come. They'll kill you."

The dragon turned it's blind head down towards Agni, and even though it couldn't see anymore, it looked like it was staring at the girl.

And then it nudged her softly; before it turned it's head away, and started to fly up, out of the palace.

Agni looked at it go, a wide smile rising up to her lips.

The dragon's enormous wings flapped as it rose higher and higher, and then begun to fly away, further.

Then the doors swung open, the guards marching in among Hephaestus.

Agni threw her head around, looking at her father dead in the eye.

"What did you do?" Hephaestus breathed out. His gaze went from Agni to the open ceiling, and then down to the two bloody ribs on the ground.

"What was right." Agni answered, starting to walk towards her father now, who was gaping at her.

Agni stopped right in front of him.

"I am **not** your puppet." She spoke, decisive.

Hephaestus stared at her for a while.

"I hope you enjoyed that." He then said.

"I did." Agni answered immediately.

"Good." The King said. "Cause this is _your_ room now."

Agni's jaw dropped, as Hephaestus threw his arms up, and the ceiling begun to slide close, the hook falling off to the ground.

"You think you can outweigh me?!" Hephaestus raised his voice.

Then he snapped his head towards Agni, his eyes filled with fury, and he didn't even bat a lash as he set Agni on fire, just like that.

The girl screamed in agony, Hephaestus and the guards leaving the room - leaving her like that.

Agni had never burst on fire before. She knew it was something she would be capable of eventually, one day. It was supposed to be a part of her powers; but force-burning was never a good thing.

As soon as the door shut, the flames did too, and Agni fell to her knees.

Her skin was black and burnt, but fast it began to heal back to it's regular tone, as the girl sobbed.

" _Not_ …" She grit her teeth as she spoke to herself. "...Weak."


	5. Chapter 5

If Agni had felt like a prisoner before, it was nothing compared to what she felt now.

 _Literally_ locked up, not even the dragon to company her anymore. She had no idea how many hours she'd spent in. Sitting on the floor, leaning against the corner with her legs pulled towards her chest, just staring at nothing in general; going through her thoughts.

Did she regret what she'd done? On some level, _yes_. On the level of righteousness? **No**.

" _One day you're gonna rule this realm,_ " Agni imitated her father's voice in a mocking tone. " _One day you're going to be a Queen! And I don't want you to let me_ _down_ _, Agni._ "

Then she went back to her own voice.

"But father, what if I want to live my own life? Make my _own_ choices?"

Back to her father's.

" _I don't care about what you want, Agni! I only care about myself and my own thoughts, and roasted salmon!_ "

Then she groaned, smacking a skull to the floor. After this, the girl let her head fall to her hands.

"I hate my life." She mumbled.

 _*FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER*_

"Is this really where he's going to keep me locked?" Agni murmured to herself, as she was walking around the room. "A princess. Locked in a tower. How poetic."

Agni snorted, shaking her head.

 _*ANOTHER FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER*_

Agni was shouting loudly as she stood with her arms aimed towards the wall, shooting fire out of her hands, burning the wall.

 _*...AND ANOTHER FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER*_

With her head leaning against her knees that were pulled against her chest, Agni sobbed to her clothing.

"I am going to die in here."

 ***SURPISINGLY, 15MINS LATER.***

"I am _not,_ going to die in here," Agni groaned to herself, pacing back and forth in the room.

Then she stopped, and aimed a fireball at a pile of skeletons, that burst into flames.

And then she clenched her jaw.

—

 **2 MONTHS LATER**

Thor, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three were all playing around with swords on the palace yard on a beautiful afternoon, when Lady Sif's eye caught Loki sitting on the bench a couple of feet away near the fountain, just sulking.

"What's got Loki so down?" Sif asked Thor, as she turned to sword with him.

Thor glanced at him.

"Have you ever met Loki?" Thor joked dryly. " _Everything's_ got him down."

Lady Sif smirked.

"Is it the girl?" Fandral called, and Loki narrowed his eyes at him as he lifted his head.

"A girl?" Volstag asked, confused.

"Aye!" Fandral announced, excited as he battled Fandral. "I heard Loki traveled across realms for a _Princess_."

"There's a **Princess**?" Volstag gasped. "For _Loki_?!"  
"Princess of Muspelheim, I hear." Fandral added.

"Enough!" Loki snapped, jumping up.

They all stopped sword-fighting.

"Are you sulking over a _girl_?" Lady Sif asked, a little amused.

Loki didn't answer.

"Of course he is." Thor shrugged. "Who of us isn't?"  
"Valid point." Fandral admitted.

Lady Sif rolled her eyes, but still smiled.

"Tell me…" She started. "What is the kind of a girl that can get Loki Odinson in such a mood?"

"A Princess." Volstag grinned wide.

"Bet she was a pretty one." Fandral said, and they both snickered quietly.

"Alright, I'm leaving now." Loki announced, turning around and walking away.

The guys laughed, but Sif gave them judging looks, before shoving her sword back to her leg-strap and rushing after Loki.

"Loki," She called.

"Leave me alone, Sif." Loki just said.

"Come on," Sif said as she hurried to his heels, and now Loki turned around.

"What?" Loki asked. "Did you run all the way to mock me?"

"No," Sif shook her head. "I ran all the way because I'm actually curious."

Loki frowned.

"Of what?" He asked.

Sif smiled a little.

"Of what she's like." She shrugged. "I never figured you as one for even _liking_ a girl, to be honest."  
"Are you kidding me?" Loki frowned. " _Obviously_ not since every girl ever has got their eyes on _Thor_ , before me."  
"Oh, come on." Sif said. "That's not true. I'm sure girls have got eyes for you, too."  
"Not a single one." Loki said.

"I bet the Princess has." Sif then smirked a little.

Loki looked at her for a moment, before sighing and turning around.

"Well I'm never going to see her again, so…" He mumbled as he walked to the edge of the palace, and then sat down, his legs hanging over the edge.

Sif looked at his back for a few seconds, before she went after him, and sat down next to him.

"Your father, huh?" She asked.

Loki was quiet at first.

"Yes." He then said.

"Well… I mean, he can't keep you locked in Asgard _forever_ ," Sif tried.

"It's absolutely crazy, come to think about it." Loki suddenly said. "How I… I don't even _know_ this girl. But for some reason, I - I can not seem to stop thinking about her. Her hair, face, body, voice, _lips-_ "

"Loki, have you ever heard of the thing called… Soulmates?" Sif stopped him, smiling with the corner of her mouth.

Loki glanced at her.

"No…" He mumbled. "You sound like my mother."

Sif laughed.

"Tell me about them." Loki then added, a little embarrassedly as he stared off to the distance.

Sif smiled at him, before she turned her gaze to the distance too.

"Well, some people believe that there's a soulmate for everyone." She started. "Ideally suited to another."

"But there are so many people in the universe," Loki frowned, and they turned to look at each other. "How's that possible?"

"I don't know, but it is," Sif shrugged. "And it's not, exactly… A _scientifically_ proven thing. Even though that it almost is."

"You're really not making any sense right now." Loki deadpanned.

Sif chuckled.

"Look, Loki, all I'm saying is that maybe this- this Princess could be yours!" Sif said. "If you met her… once. And like what, two months ago? And you still can't stop thinking about her."

"Isn't that quite normal?" Loki frowned.

Sif smiled.

"Not for Loki." She said quietly.

Loki looked at her, and then hummed, turning his head away again.

"Is there more information about these said ' _soulmates_ '?" Loki asked.

"Yes," Sif answered. "The man who came up with the term, had an idea that we were all originally born with four arms, legs, and a single head with two faces. Then came a set of evil gods, who punished the race by splitting everybody in half, giving all these people only one pair of each limb."  
Loki looked disgusted.

"And it's said that they would _forever_ long for their other half. The other half of their _soul_. And that when the two find each other, there's an unspoken understanding of one another. And it would feel magical, as they're reconnected again."

There was a silence, as Sif looked at Loki, waiting for his reaction, and Loki was quiet, staring at the mountains.

"That just sounds like a bunch of crap." He then commented, and Sif chuckled.

"I don't know, maybe." She commented. "But it's a thing."

Loki didn't say anything.

"What's her name?" Sif then smiled a little.

And for another small moment Loki was quiet, before speaking.

"Agni."

"That's a beautiful name." Sif said.

"She's a beautiful girl." Loki mumbled, gaze dropping down.

Sif looked at him, before grabbing his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"You're gonna meet her again, Loki." She said. "I'm sure."

Loki looked at her hand on his, but then turned his gaze to Sif.

"Thanks, Sif." He then said, squeezing her hand back, and Sif smiled.

—

"Bllllleargh!" Agni shouted as she began to run towards the wall, and then managed to run up it. She kicked herself around in a tuck as she aimed fire, and then landed on her feet.

She stood still for a moment, and then hummed.

"Not bad." She said to herself.

Then the door opened.

"Oh, thank Heavens, Ragul." Agni breathed, wiping her forehead as she began to walk over to him. "I'm _starving_."

The new maid-boy Ragul, who was about Agni's age smiled as he stepped in and handed Agni the tray.

"How's the practicing going?" He asked.

"Well, I should be able to kick both my father's and every guard's arse on this planet in… Five years. Uh-huh. Five more years." She joked, and Ragul laughed.

"Come on." He said. "You're _amazing_ with what you do. I've seen you. Why don't you just make the run for it? I mean… I'm not exactly standing in the way."

He stepped away from the door, and held his hands to cover his eyes.

"I'm not seeing anything. Oh, what a shame if the princess were to disappear!"

"Ragul," Agni laughed, grabbing his hands to pull them away from his eyes. "Stop it. I can't run. Not before I've trained properly. The second I step out from those doors, my father will raise hell on me."

"I know." Ragul sighed. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Agni smiled, biting on the piece of bread. Then she sat down, patting the floor. "You wanna join me?"

Ragul looked at her for a moment, before he glanced out of the door. No one around.

"Yeah, why not." He shrugged, and sat down opposite Agni.

He glanced around the room, and snorted.

"Love what you've done with the place." He said.

Agni glanced around too, seeing all the scattered skeletons and skulls and the room looking like an overall mess.

"Thanks." Agni smirked a little, stuffing more bread to her mouth.

Ragul turned to look at her, and smiled.

"I'm really gonna miss you when you're gone." He said.

"What?" Agni raised her brows a little. "Not if you're coming with me."

"Agni…" Ragul chuckled, shaking her head. "I can't come with you."

"Why not?" Agni asked. "It's gonna be a great, wild escape. I will be like _The Fugitive_."  
Ragul frowned.

"The what?"

"It's a film in Midgard!" Agni smiled excitedly. "They have a _lot_ of them. With guns and explosives. And they also have this ridiculous looking actor named David… Hesselhaff?"

"What?" Ragul laughed. "Oh, wow, Agni."

"What?" Agni chuckled a little.

"You're out of your mind." Ragul shook her head. "Are you really going to do this?"

"Do what?" Agni asked.

"Run away!" Ragul blurted out, throwing his arms up. "You have an entire _palace_. You're to be a **Queen**."  
"Oh, stop it, Ragul," Agni frowned, shaking her head as she dropped it with a sigh. "You're starting to sound like my father."

"But what's so fascinating about the outside world?" Ragul asked. "About… Midgard?"

"It's not just Midgard," Agni said.

Ragul looked at her for a moment.

"Is this about that prince?" He asked carefully.

Agni lifted her head.

"Ohhhhh." Ragul then said. "This _is_ about the prince. He was from Asgard. Right?"

"It doesn't matter," Agni snapped. "Loki-"

"Loki!" Ragul pointed a finger. "Yes. That's the guy."

Agni shot him a small scowl, before continuing.

"-promised to come back." She said. "He never _did_ , so..."

"What, and you're basing that on what? Agni, you've literally been trapped inside this room for five months! You wouldn't even know."  
"Oh, you think I wouldn't have heard about it?" Agni raised her brows. "Ragul, you come to bring me dinner _every day_. **You** would have heard if there was a Prince from another realm coming!"

Ragul stared at her for a moment.

"True. Point well made." He said, and Agni nodded.

"So, see? Besides, I would _never_ run away for a boy." Agni said. "That is just ridiculous. I'm running away for the world. The universe. The _realms_."

Ragul nodded carefully.

"Why can't you come with me-?" Agni then asked. "Ragul, you'd love it out there!"

"Agni, I can't go," Ragul frowned. "This is… My life."  
"What, you call this a life?" Agni raised her brows. "You are literally a servant."

"Yes, for your Highness!" Ragul snapped, jumping up.

Agni frowned a little now.

"Ragul, I'm... sorry. I didn't mean it like that."  
"Yeah, well, I took it like that!" He said, boiling. "You're a _Royal_ , Agni. But you don't care. You just wanna toss away everything that's been given to you, because you have a _dream_."

Agni didn't say anything.

"And that's why I envy you." Ragul sighed, calming down a litle. "Not because you're on a higher status."  
"Am I, though?" Agni mumbled. "Look around, Ragul."

She opened her arms wide.

"I'm trapped." She continued, before dropping her arms back down.

"I'm not a Princess," She spoke. "I'm a project."

Ragul didn't say anything at first, only looked at Agni. But then he dropped his head, and nodded.

"I'm sorry." He said. "You're right."

" _Ragul!_ " The guards shouted from the hallways.

"Go," Agni said.

Ragul nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow," He said, and Agni nodded too.

Then Ragul was out again, and Agni was left alone. She stared at the tray in front of her and the piece of bread in her hand; before she threw it to the edge of the room, and sighed.

Then she got up, and began to shake her limbs, to warm them up.

And then she closed her eyes. She clenched her fists, and bit her teeth together;

And slowly her skin began to glow. It glowed in red, orange, yellow, until finally cracking like melted lava. She began to rise high in the air, levitating;

and then, she burst out in fire.

And Agni's eyes shot open.

—

 _Hellooooo! So here is another new chapter. Please if you liked it, leave reviews & follow ! X_


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